The Union-Rennen is a Group 2

Conditions races

Conditions races are horse races where the weights carried by the runners are laid down by the conditions attached to the race. Weights are allocated according to; the sex of the runners, with female runners carrying less weight than males; the age of the runners, with younger horses receiving...

 flat

Flat racing

Flat racing is a form of Thoroughbred horse racing which is run over a level track at a predetermined distance. It differs from steeplechase racing which is run over hurdles...

 horse race

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...

 in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 open to three-year-old thoroughbred

Thoroughbred

The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...

s. It is run at Cologne

Cologne-Weidenpesch Racecourse

The Cologne-Weidenpesch Racecourse is a horse racing track at Weidenpescher Park in Nippes, Cologne. As the only race course in Germany, hosting more than one European pattern Group 1 race, Weidenpesch is one of the most prominent tracks in the country.Cologne-Weidenpesch is also one of Germany's...

 over a distance of 2,200 metres (about 1 mile and 3 furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in June.

History

The event was established in 1834, and it was originally held at Tempelhof

Tempelhof

Tempelhof is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. It is the location of the former Tempelhof Airport, one of the earliest commercial airports in the world. It is now deserted and shows as a blank spot on maps of Berlin. Attempts are being made to save the still-existing...

 on the site of what is now Berlin Tempelhof Airport. It was initially contested over 2,400 metres, and it was extended to 2,800 metres in 1837.

The race was transferred to Hoppegarten

Hoppegarten

Hoppegarten is a municipality in the district Märkisch-Oderland, in Brandenburg, Germany.-History:The actual municipality was created in 2003 when the former municipalities of Hönow and Münchehofe were united with Dahlwitz-Hoppegarten...

 in 1868, and it was cut to 2,200 metres in 1888. It was staged at Grunewald

Grunewald

Grunewald is a locality within the Berliner borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Famous for the homonymous forest, until 2001 administrative reform it was part of the former district of Wilmersdorf.-Geography:The locality is situated in the western side of the city and is separated from...

 for a short period after World War I, and it returned to Hoppegarten during the 1920s. It was abandoned in 1945 and 1946, and it moved to Cologne in 1947.

The Union-Rennen serves as a trial for the Deutsches Derby

Deutsches Derby

The Deutsches Derby is a Group 1 flat horse race in Germany open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Hamburg-Horn over a distance of 2,400 metres , and it is scheduled to take place each year in July....

, and many horses have won both races. The first was Schwindler, a joint winner of the Derby in 1875. The most recent was Wiener Walzer in 2009.

With its running in , the Union-Rennen is Germany's oldest surviving horse race.

Records

Leading jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

 (7 wins):

• Tom Busby – Roman (1874), Oroszvar (1878), Picklock (1879), Tartar (1883), Fenek (1886), Bulgar (1887), Impuls (1895)

----
Leading trainer

Horse trainer

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

 (7 wins):

• George Arnull – Weissdorn (1925), Alba (1930), Aventin (1932), Sturmvogel (1935), Ad Astra (1940), Magnat (1941), Asterblüte (1949)

(note: the trainers of some of the early winners are unknown)

Winners since 1970

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Time
1970	Oktavio	Peter Alafi	Sven von Mitzlaff	2:17.10
1971	Florino	Harro Remmert	Georg Zuber	2:27.60
1972	Arratos	Brian Taylor Brian Taylor (jockey) Brian Taylor was a successful jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing best known for riding Snow Knight to victory in the 1974 Epsom Derby.Taylor was born in Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, England...	Heinz Jentzsch	2:20.10
1973	Domador	Peter Alafi	Bruno Schütz	2:17.20
1974	Meinberg	Horst Horwart	Karl-Heinz Schultze	2:22.50
1975	Windwurf	Jerzy Jednaszewski	Heinz Gummelt	2:18.20
1976	Waltz	Greville Starkey Greville Starkey Greville Starkey was an English jockey who rode almost 2,000 winners during a 33-year career on the flat.Starkey scaled the heights of his profession during his 33-year career in which he rode 1,989 winners on the Flat...	Theo Grieper	2:13.60
1977	Surumu	George Cadwaladr	Adolf Wöhler	2:15.40
1978	Limbo	Bruce Raymond	Oskar Langner	2:18.10
1979	Nebos	Lutz Mäder	Hein Bollow	2:16.60
1980	Navarino	Dave Richardson	Arthur-Paul Schlaefke	2:19.40
1981	Orofino	Peter Alafi	Sven von Mitzlaff	2:15.90
1982	Tombos	Lutz Mäder	Heinz Jentzsch	2:19.90
1983	Anatas	Andrzej Tylicki	Heinz Jentzsch	2:15.60
1984	Daun	Pat Gilson	Theo Grieper	2:18.00
1985	Acatenango Acatenango (horse) Acatenango was a German Thoroughbred racehorse. Sired by the Deutsches Derby winner and German Champion sire, Surumu, he was out of the English mare Aggravate...	Andrzej Tylicki	Heinz Jentzsch	2:18.20
1986	Orfano	Peter Alafi	Sven von Mitzlaff	2:14.30
1987	Kondor	Peter Remmert	Hein Bollow	2:24.00
1988	Alkalde	Manfred Hofer	Peter Lautner	2:18.96
1989	Turfkönig	Olaf Schick	Uwe Ostmann	2:18.88
1990	Mandelbaum	Georg Bocskai	Uwe Ostmann	2:21.51
1991	Leone	Michael Roberts Michael Roberts (jockey) Michael Roberts is a South African jockey currently residing in Suffolk, England, with his wife Verna and two daughters, Melanie and Carolyn. Roberts has had a successful career, winning many English and South African races multiple times. He was British flat racing Champion Jockey in 1992...	Uwe Ostmann	2:17.25
1992	Zohar	Kevin Woodburn	Uwe Ostmann	2:15.58
1993	Kornado	Andre Best	Bruno Schütz	2:13.09
1994	Twen	Kevin Woodburn	Harro Remmert	2:20.86
1995	Lecroix	Manfred Hofer	Mario Hofer	2:19.70
1996	Lavirco	Torsten Mundry	Peter Rau	2:15.52
1997	Caitano	Andrasch Starke Andrasch Starke Andrasch Starke is a jockey in international Thoroughbred horse racing.Starke began racing at age fifteen as an amateur and since turning professional has won the German riding championship five times. He has competed in Canada and the United States and has won races in Dubai, France, Italy, and...	Bruno Schütz	2:24.04
1998	Lanciano	Terence Hellier	Hans Blume	2:25.11
1999	Silvano	Kevin Woodburn	Andreas Wöhler	2:20.00
2000	Network	Andrasch Starke Andrasch Starke Andrasch Starke is a jockey in international Thoroughbred horse racing.Starke began racing at age fifteen as an amateur and since turning professional has won the German riding championship five times. He has competed in Canada and the United States and has won races in Dubai, France, Italy, and...	Andreas Schütz Andreas Schütz Andreas Schütz is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. From a prominent racing family, he is the fourth generation to train professionally....	2:15.27
2001	Sabiango	Andreas Suborics Andreas Suborics Andreas Suborics Andreas Suborics Andreas Suborics (born August 11, 1971 in Vienna, Austria is an Austrian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who is based in Germany and races worldwide.A three-time champion jockey in Germany, Suborics is best known as the jockey who rode Shirocco in 2004....	Andreas Wöhler	2:17.76
2002	Next Desert	Terence Hellier	Andreas Schütz Andreas Schütz Andreas Schütz is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. From a prominent racing family, he is the fourth generation to train professionally....	2:17.15
2003	Dai Jin	Terence Hellier	Andreas Schütz Andreas Schütz Andreas Schütz is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. From a prominent racing family, he is the fourth generation to train professionally....	2:19.79
2004	Malinas	William Mongil	Peter Schiergen Peter Schiergen Peter Schiergen is a former German champion jockey and a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.- Horse trainer :Schiergen trained Boreal, winner of the 2001 Coronation Cup....	2:18.94
2005	Königstiger	Andreas Suborics Andreas Suborics Andreas Suborics Andreas Suborics Andreas Suborics (born August 11, 1971 in Vienna, Austria is an Austrian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who is based in Germany and races worldwide.A three-time champion jockey in Germany, Suborics is best known as the jockey who rode Shirocco in 2004....	Peter Schiergen Peter Schiergen Peter Schiergen is a former German champion jockey and a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.- Horse trainer :Schiergen trained Boreal, winner of the 2001 Coronation Cup....	2:16.83
2006	Aspectus	Andrasch Starke Andrasch Starke Andrasch Starke is a jockey in international Thoroughbred horse racing.Starke began racing at age fifteen as an amateur and since turning professional has won the German riding championship five times. He has competed in Canada and the United States and has won races in Dubai, France, Italy, and...	Hans Blume	2:13.92
2007	Axxos	Andrasch Starke Andrasch Starke Andrasch Starke is a jockey in international Thoroughbred horse racing.Starke began racing at age fifteen as an amateur and since turning professional has won the German riding championship five times. He has competed in Canada and the United States and has won races in Dubai, France, Italy, and...	Peter Schiergen Peter Schiergen Peter Schiergen is a former German champion jockey and a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.- Horse trainer :Schiergen trained Boreal, winner of the 2001 Coronation Cup....	2:21.90
2008	Liang Kay	Terence Hellier	Uwe Ostmann	2:19.97
2009	Wiener Walzer	Adrie de Vries	Jens Hirschberger	2:16.81
2010	Zazou	Terence Hellier	Mario Hofer	2:18.10
2011	Arrigo	Adrie de Vries	Jens Hirschberger	2:17.87